If you ask the average person what they know about Sweden, they will probably mention IKEA or ABBA. But if you ask the not so average person, the answer will be metal music. Although Scandinavians didn’t invent heavy metal, it was perfected in the north. Given the cold climate and darkness for months on end, one can easily understand why. Sweden, Norway and Finland account for a disproportionate fraction of bands and have had an enormous impact on the genre, particularly when it comes to extreme metal. Within this rich tradition, Opeth stands out above the rest as the pinnacle of Swedish metal.

People often speculate that Bach would be a metalhead if he were born today. We will never know, of course, but it certainly is true that if you play some of his music on distorted guitars it sounds pretty banger. I mean, his pieces are heavy enough in their original arrangements, so it’s not that surprising. There are plenty of other candidates besides Bach, but what I wonder is which current metal musician would be Bach if they were born hundreds of years ago. To me the answer is Mikael Åkerfeldt; the frontman of Opeth. I could go on and on about the intricacies of Mikael’s songwriting. And you know what, I will. Actually, the word songwriter does not give Mikael enough credit. Mikael doesn’t write songs, he composes symphonies and rhapsodies. The average Opeth song is close to ten minutes in length with multiple sections that weave seemlessly together to create a unified whole. Each album, in turn, is a sonic journey of several movements. The harmonies, riffs, tempo changes and dynamic interplay between the energetic and subdued parts are the work of a true craftsman. A lot of different bands have tried to emulate this style, but few have succeeded. Most of them end up with mere songs that sound like different ideas stitched together without a coherent thread.

Besides the intricate composition, Mikael is renowned for having one of the most intense guttoral growls in metal, best exemplified on the albums Blackwater Park and Ghost Reveries. As if that wasn’t enough, Mikael also has a beautiful singing voice, as demonstrated on Damnation and In Cauda Venenum. These albums are all quite distinct, and you’d be forgiven for thinking that they were made by completely different artists. Indeed, between Bleak (heavy and intense), Faith in Others (orchestral and thematic), Windowpane (melancholic and subdued), Harlequin Forest (dynamic and melodic) and Demons of the Fall (plain ol’ death metal), I think there’s a song for everyone, even those who typically dislike metal.

Making this setlist was near impossible given the diverse and extensive catalogue, and the concert is already an hour long after six or seven songs. Nevertheless, I think I managed to showcase the increadible breadth of composition and musicianship. Opeth are still active, of course, and I hope they remain so for years to come, meaning that I’ll probably have to revise the list once new albums are released, but I simply had to get the ball rolling. After all, I have to make it through the Swedish winter somehow.

Please enjoy what I would consider to be the perfect setlist for a concert by Opeth. The last three tracks are the encore.